


In Which Everyone has a Good Day and Nothing Bad Happens

by Sophrederick



Category: Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: Birthday Party, Day drinking, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, M/M, everyone is happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23755207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophrederick/pseuds/Sophrederick
Summary: Laurence has new stockings, and it's all uphill from there.
Relationships: William Laurence & Friends, William Laurence/Tenzing Tharkay
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	In Which Everyone has a Good Day and Nothing Bad Happens

**Author's Note:**

> I had a really good day, and I wanted my fav characters to have a good day too. That's it.

Laurence woke with the dawn, as was his habit, feeling not overly tired. He had gone to bed later than usual, having flown home with Temeraire from visiting his brother’s family. It hadn’t had to do with any crisis for once; they had only been accepting an invitation to visit his nephews and introduce Temeraire to them. As Laurence was generally well rested, the late night did not seriously affect him.

He dressed in his normal clothes, including a clean, comfortably worn shirt, and the new stockings he had recently purchased. Laurence looked in the mirror after tying his neckcloth, and saw with pleasure that it was laying perfectly. When he got to the mess hall at Dover covert, Berkley had just arrived and a servant met Laurence at the table with a fresh pot of coffee. He exchanged nods and smiles with his friend while they ate fresh baked bread with sweet mixed berry jam and thick slices of ham. By the time Harcourt came down, they had finished eating and sat in comfortable silence reading different sections of the same newspaper.

Lily’s old formation had been able to gather to celebrate Captain Little’s birthday, but since he was still on active duty the festivities were set for dinner and afternoon. This was arranged in the interest of allowing him to drink and eat his fill, and spend all the time he could in pursuit of leisure, but still get to sleep and be in decent shape the next morning. Laurence, Harcourt, and Berkley joined Granby in decorating Iskierka’s pavilion, which she had generously permitted them to use. The price of this accommodation was that before the festivities, Granby change into his first best coat and the gold hook, which in turn meant Temeraire’s insistence on Laurence donning his utmost finery.

Lily was slightly more reasonable, demanding only that Harcourt wear every piece of jewelry she could, and drape the rest of them on her son. Little Tom had not yet learned how to tell a dragon no, nor even that he should, so he looked that day rather more like a prince than an aviator’s son. Immortalis had been assigned to distract the more meddlesome dragons, so the preparations could take place unimpeded. Admiral Roland had likewise been assigned to distract Little, so he would have no opportunity to object to anything until it was too late.

It was a good thing the captains had allotted themselves the entire morning still, since they became distracted with tomfoolery more often than any adult responsible for a dragon would like to admit. When Chenery arrived bearing the gifts they had stowed, it was to, possibly, a naval battle?

“Aargh! I’ll have yer ship and yer beast both, and yer whole crew can join Captain Granhook or walk the plank!” Granby yelled at Harcourt. She whipped her stick pistols around from her perch on Berkley’s shoulder and guided him around for another pass.

“Now Berklikus! We can’t let a pirate have HMS Maximus!”

“That’s,” wheeze, “not how pirates speak.” Laurence managed to get out through his laughter. It sounded like he said something else, but it was unintelligible the way he was doubled over with tears streaming.

Chenery thought about being mature. He thought about joining the winning side. Instead, he yelled some Durzagh sounding gibberish and slithered like a sea serpent to tackle Berkley. Harcourt managed to jump off in time to keep her footing, shooting her sticks wildly at the sea dragon.

“Quick! Don’t let him circle the ship!” She cried, now cutting at him with the same pistol which had apparently morphed into a sword. While she was rescuing her dragon, Granhook had snuck up on them and threw himself in the middle, sitting on Berkley making cannon noises.

“Aargh, ye’ll surrender yer ship if ye wan’ yer beast to live!”

Chenery, finally cut in two, lay off to the side moaning and flopping dramatically. Laurence thought he had recovered enough to put an end to this nonsense, but with every twitch and gargle Chenery made he lost a little more composure. Admiral Laurence’s fleet did come to HMS Maximus’s rescue, but his profound speech lost some effect when the admiral delivering it stopped to giggle every fourth word.

Little, meanwhile, was growing progressively more tired and frustrated with Roland’s busywork. All he wanted was to be released for dinner, and spend the rest of his birthday in peace, but first he was bid accompany her to Iskierka’s pavilion for some vague but Very Important reason.

The last thing he expected was to find his own dragon attempting to shield it from his sight. Imortallis was, due to his size, unsuccessful in this endeavor, but no aviator worth their salt would pay attention to anything else when seeing their dragon up to mischief, so Little was still sufficiently distracted for their purposes.

Having seated the other captains and their guests at the dinner table they had set up, Granby gave Immortalis the okay to nudge Little to the head of the table. He was in shock as he saw the banner reading “Happy Birthday Captain Little”, and that the centerpiece was a pile of artfully wrapped gifts. Smirking at each other from either side of him, Granby and Chenery each grabbed one of Littles wrists to guide him into his seat.

By the time Little left the table he felt like he was on third man, one third food, and one third wine. The rest of the partygoers were little better, and everyone agreed on a brief rest while the table and dishes were cleared. Harcourt, having only just sent her son home with his nanny, was still mostly sober, and not ready to let anyone fall into a drunken doze just yet. She grabbed a bottle of port and went to nudge everyone up, taking a healthy swig between every person she kicked.

She got last to Little, sprawled half on the grass and half on Granby, and bodily hauled him up and back into the pavilion where the musicians had set up. She was not a particularly good dancer, especially as she only had one hand to devote to it, but by the end of the first song most of the other aviators had followed her example anyway.

The musicians played the rest of the hour, and when they left the group entertained themselves with cards and stories until the liquor ran out. Sometime in the late afternoon, Laurence had looked at his four hands and decided he might be a bit affected. He walked with no little effort to the guest of honor, and opened his mouth to wish him the best and make his farewell.

“Little.” Laurence said. He thought about it for a moment and continued. “Happy birthday. Goodbye.” He left the pavilion in possibly the direction of his last night’s room, possibly Temeraire. He would decide when he got there. It turned out to be Temeraire. This was wonderful since Temeraire was his very favorite being and he needed to tell him so immediately. He only managed to stare at him, clamber onto his foreleg, attempt to hug it, and fall asleep, but Temeraire understood anyway.

While Laurence napped, Temeraire had sent for his belongings and harness, that he may get home to his own bed sooner. He woke up from the jostling of being lifted onto Temeraire’s back and complained about the change, did they have to go right now?

“Oh! Well, of course we can stay later if you want, but we’ve been away for a while now and I thought you would be wanting to get home and see Tharkay now?” Laurence gasped excitedly.

“Yes, we need to go imm- right now. Yes. You’re right dear. We haven’t seen Tenzing in,” he pondered this, “a long time.”

Laurence attached his carabiners, and sat back to enjoy Temeraire’s liftoff and flight in a lovely drunken haze. _This is the best day ever._ He thought to himself, grinning into the wind.

When they landed at the estate, Laurence had sobered up into a light fuzziness and was able to make his own way inside. He noticed the servant waiting with some relief, and asked him to see to Temeraire (and fetch his forgotten baggage).

He was sitting and staring at his sleeve when Tharkay knocked on the open door and entered, closing it behind him.

“You seem like you had a good time. I’m almost sorry I missed it.” He spoke mockingly, but affectionately. “Would you like some help with that?” Tharkay gestured at Laurence’s clothes. He was still in his finery from earlier, and had gotten distracted questioning it.

“If you would,” Laurence answered. “I forget that my tolerance for liquor is not what it once was, and I may have overdone it.” Tharkay laughed and shook his head fondly.

“Of course you have. I do, after all, know these people. I can only guess at how much you’ve had to drink in their company.” He helped Laurence into nightclothes and went to the kitchen for water and a snack for them in lieu of supper. When he returned it was to find Laurence smiling absently and humming to himself.

Laurence saw Tharkay enter with the food, dressed down and sporting a bit of stubble, and was overcome. “You are perfect.” He said. “I cannot believe that this is real, that I have this, and you.”

Tharkay put the refreshments on the table in front of the loveseat and sat down. He caressed Laurence’s cheek, and was rewarded with a nuzzle and a kiss to his palm.

“Oh Will. I scarcely believe it myself, but believe it we must. This is real.” He grabbed a bit of cheese. “Now eat something, or you won’t want to believe your life tomorrow morning, either.”

Laurence obediently ate, and let himself be led to bed, but when Tharkay left to ready himself for bed he made a point to stay away until his lover returned. When he did, Laurence grabbed him and wrapped him in his arms.

“Tenzing, Tenzing. I love you. I am so grateful to be here with you.” This was the extent to which Laurence could articulate his feelings at the moment. Tharkay kissed his forehead and made his answer, but Laurence did not hear it. He was already drifting off, warm, safe, and loved.


End file.
